My name is Luke, and I love all things aesthetically pleasing. I’m 22 years old and soon to graduate from a small, liberal arts college. I have dreams and aspirations, but they’re all a little blurry right now. I have double majored in music education and applied music (performance). I study classical voice; I love art songs and opera. I’m planning on teaching this upcoming school year, but I’m not sure where that’s going to lead me. I have this crazy idea of eventually doing graduate study in vocal performance. We’ll see how this goes…

From spending way too much time watching HGTV, I have developed a taste for design. My tastes continually expand and change as I spend time reading design blogs and things like that. Last summer, I redesigned my bedroom at home, using the shades of golden/olive greens and brown. Those colors, by the way, are my favorite. Even though I have no idea where I’m going to be living this next August or so, I already have my future living room partly designed. You see, I was given this free golden yellow retro recliner. It’s in really great shape, but the color had not immediately appealed to me. I decided to keep it, though. I then saw a pillow that incorporated that color, green, light blue, and brown. I decided to get it (it was on sale), and the madness began. My next find was a retro set of a coffee table and two side tables at Goodwill. They aren’t in the best of shape, but I have plans to paint them. I just happened to find two throw pillows at Pier 1 (one of my most favorite stores!) that incorporated the green, blue, and gold. That’s about as far as I have, but let’s just say I’ve been eyeing out some couches. Needless to say, I might be a tad obsessive when it comes to these things.

I also enjoy cooking–Food Network has only worsened my love for it. When I was little, my mom always let me help out in the kitchen. Cooking always feels like a mixture of therapy and nostalgia for me. My wonderful girlfriend and I have had to be creative in our dorm kitchens. I think we’ve redefined what’s possible with a fridge and microwave. She comes up with most of the ideas: impressive, really. I can’t wait to be able to cook in a full kitchen again!

What else do I do? Well, I’m a self-proclaimed crafter. I always have some sort of project in progress. Lately, I’ve been teaching myself how to crochet and knit. Scarves, anyone? I’ve learned that I really love crocheting, so I’m trying to continue my skills with it. I save knitting for simple scarves when I need some zone-out time.

I know this has been a bit sporadic, but that’s my personality. Welcome to my life!